Page 350 of Rosetti Family New York
"What do we know about his current plans?" I ask.
"Enough to stop him," Matteo replies, his coin stopping as he focuses on the task. "But it needs us to work together. Family unity."
"You have it," I say without hesitation. "Whatever you need, whatever it costs, whatever violence is necessary, you have my full loyalty."
"Even if it means more killing?" Salvatore asks, though he seems to already know the answer. "Even if protecting this family means crossing lines you never thought you'd cross?"
I think about the weight of the assassin's wrist in my hands, the wet sound when Emilio's blade hit his throat, and how my training kicked in to protect what mattered most. The memory should disturb me, but instead, it brings a dark satisfaction within me.
"Especially then," I say, looking him in the eye. "I've tried to be someone I'm not, running from what loving Emilio meant, carrying guilt I didn't even know I had. Tonight I found out who I really am: someone who kills to protect family, who chooses blood over law when it really counts."
"And Sarah?" Emilio asks quietly.
"Sarah would have understood," I reply, and for the first time since learning the truth about her death, I feel a sense of peace around my grief. "She always said family was everything. She'd be proud that I stopped running from the family I chose."
"Then she was wise," Nonna Toni says with certainty. "The dead want us to live fully, to love completely, to protect what matters. You honor her memory by embracing what she cannot."
This simple acceptance brings tears to my eyes, but they're not tears of grief anymore, they're tears of gratitude, of understanding that 's death doesn't lessen the love I've found. It blesses it.
"Ours," Matteo says suddenly, raising his glass. "Not his, not yours. Ours."
"Ours," I agree, the word changing everything about my identity, my priorities, and my understanding of what love demands when survival depends on blood. "I'm not just choosing him anymore. I'm choosing all of you."
Silence fills the room as the family absorbs what I've just offered. It's not a temporary alliance or protection, but a lasting change into someone whose loyalty goes beyond self-interest.
"Welcome home," Salvatore finally says, his words making the acceptance official. "For real this time."
The words hit me hard, and I feel like I truly belong, not because I'm useful or entertaining, but because I've shown the fierce protectiveness that defines family.
"You know what this means," Matteo says, breaking the serious mood with a mischievous grin. "Mara officially needs a Rosetti family nickname."
Emilio groans beside me, but I can feel him relax. "Absolutely not."
"Too late," Carmela chimes in, her earlier tears replaced by delight. "It's tradition. Everyone gets one."
“I’ve never heard of this,” Eleanor says. “You never call each other by nicknames.”
“They’re deep down, underneath the surface,” Leo says. “Hardly ever get airtime but we know they’re there.”
Eleanor looks offended. “What’s mine?”
Everyone answers in unison. “Princess.”
Eleanor tries to hold a stern face, but it crinkles into pleasure.
"What's wrong with Mara?" I ask, grateful for the lightness after such intensity.
Nonna Toni waves her hand dismissively. "Too simple. A proper nickname must capture the essence."
Matteo leans forward, eyes sparkling. "I'm thinking 'Blade.' Or maybe 'Killer.'"
"You're not naming her after a horror movie," Emilio says, but he's fighting a smile.
"What about 'Valkyrie'?" Carmela offers. "You know, like those warrior women who choose who lives and dies?"
"Too many syllables," Salvatore weighs in unexpectedly. "A good nickname rolls off the tongue."
I look around the table, stunned to see the most dangerous family in New York debating this like it's a matter of national security. Domenico has pulled out his phone and appears to be making a list.
